Foreign Relations of the United States, Diplomatic Papers, 1945, General: Political and Economic Matters, Volume II

Council of Foreign Ministers Files: Lot M–88: CFM London Documents

Memorandum by the United Kingdom Delegation to the Council of Foreign Ministers

C.F.M.(46) 45

London, 22 September, 1945.

Reparations From Germany

1. The United Kingdom Delegation offer the following observations upon the Soviet Delegation’s memorandum circulated to the Council as C.F.M.(45) 15.⁷¹

2. The United Kingdom Delegation agree that the Allied Commission on Reparation should be transferred from Moscow to Berlin on the understanding that the function of the Allied Commission will be to advise the Control Council regarding reparation policies as requested by the Control Council, or on the Commission’s own initiative. In the light of reparation policies laid down in the Potsdam Protocol or by the Allied Commission, it will be for the Control Council to determine the amount and character of capital industrial equipment to be removed from the various industries.

3. The United Kingdom Delegation do not agree that it should be decided that such determination should be completed not later than the 1st December, 1945. This would be impossible owing to the complexity and magnitude of the task. Paragraph 5 of Section IV of the Potsdam Protocol⁷² says that the amount of equipment to be removed from the Western Zones on account of reparations must be determined “within six months from now at the latest”, i.e., by the 7th February, 1946. There should be no alteration in this decision.

4. The decision on the equipment which is to be handed over to the Soviet Union in execution of Section IV of the decisions of the Berlin Conference regarding reparations from Germany, can only be made after the amount and character of capital industrial equipment available for reparations has been determined.

5. The United Kingdom Delegation do not agree that the Control Council should be asked to approve not later than the 15th October, 1945 a list of enterprises, the equipment from which is to be surrendered as advance deliveries in accordance with paragraph 7 of Section IV of the Potsdam Protocol. The Potsdam Protocol provides that removals of industrial capital equipment shall begin as soon as possible. This decision should stand, but it is not practicable to lay down a precise date. It must be recognised that the removal and transport of capital industrial equipment will entail considerable difficulties for some time to come.

6. The United Kingdom Delegation do not agree that the Control Council should be invited to despatch immediately to the Western Zones of Germany mixed commissions and specialists. The United Kingdom Delegation consider that the Soviet Government should submit data on removals of capital industrial equipment from the Eastern Zone, and if this is agreed to, the United Kingdom Government will produce a list of equipment available for reparations and for advance deliveries from the British Zone substantiated with full factual data. When the United Kingdom Government have presented these lists they will be prepared to receive parties of specialists representing the interested countries, to enable a decision to be taken as regards allocation of what is available, on condition that the Soviet Government will, at the same time, allow specialists to enter into Eastern Germany. The United Kingdom Government will also be glad to receive suitable inspectors when the time for packing and despatch arrives.

71. September 14, p. 175.
72. Apparently reference is to section IV, paragraph 5, of the Report on the Tripartite Conference of Berlin, August 2, 1945, Conference of Berlin (Potsdam), vol. ii, p. 1506.